5 Indoor Activities to Help You Beat the Heat This Summer

Feelin’ hot, hot, hot? Just because it’s a scorcher outside doesn’t mean your summertime activities have to go up in flames. If you’re at a loss of how to deal with summer heat, try cooling down with one of these indoor activities to keep you out of the sun while still having fun!

1. Kitchen Creativity

Turn daily chores like cooking into cool summer activities, like a build-your-own-pizza night! Give everyone an individual pizza crust and go crazy on a topping bar with all the yummy options. Or treat yourself and your kiddos to something sweet! Bake cupcakes or sugar cookies and spend the afternoon decorating them together. Check with your local bakeries too—some are offering at-home decorating kits to make this activity a piece of (cup)cake!

2. Not-Your-Average-Movie-Night

Looking to skip the movie theater? Transform your house into an at-home theater! Pile pillows and blankets to create a cozy palette on the floor, or better yet, gather all the sheets to build a fort! And don’t forget the concessions for that real movie-theater feel! Stock up on drinks, boxes of candy, and popcorn served in popcorn buckets to really get in the spirit of things. Your family will have such a great time, they’ll want a double feature!

3. Fun Field Trip

Need to get out of the house? Take a family field trip! Museums are a fun way to avoid the summer heat (and bonus for parents: educational!). If you’d prefer to stay home, you’ll find many online programs offered by art museums and children’s museums with engaging summer activities for kids.

4. Indoor Camp Out

Roasting s’mores can be fun, but a campfire on a hot summer evening is not. Don’t let the summer heat ruin your adventure—bring your campout into the A/C! Move some furniture around and pitch a tent in the living room, or forgo the tent and just break out the sleeping bags for an equally fun experience. Sauté some hotdogs on the stovetop and roast s’mores in the oven, let your kids build a “campfire” out of flashlights, and turn off all the lights. And to really feel like you’re escaping to the great outdoors, put away cell phones, tablets, and other electronics.

5. Painting Party

Is your family a creative bunch looking for summer art activities? Your little artists will love creating a masterpiece right at home! Painting with a Twist offers family-friendly at-home painting events that are fun for all ages. These painting sessions are fun art, not fine art, so even if you aren’t handy with a paintbrush, you can still have a blast!